Remy Charlip

Remy Charlip co-founded the Paper Bag Players in 1958, an experimental children's theater company based in New York City. The Paper Bag Players became known for building performances around simple materials like brown paper bags and cardboard boxes, combined with movement, music, and imaginative storytelling. The company was groundbreaking in creating serious theatrical work specifically designed for young audiences.

Yes, in addition to his work in dance and theater, Remy Charlip was a prolific author and illustrator of children's books. He created dozens of picture books known for their inventive visual concepts, including works that explored unconventional page layouts and participatory reading experiences. His dual career as a performing artist and visual artist informed both bodies of work throughout his life.

Yes, Remy Charlip was an original member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, performing with the company in its early years during the 1950s. He was also closely associated with John Cage and the broader New York avant-garde arts scene. Charlip later developed his own choreographic approach, including a method of creating dances through mailed instructions, which he called 'airmail dances.'

Remy Charlip's 'airmail dances' were a choreographic method in which he created dances by drawing a series of body positions and mailing them to dancers, who would then interpret the sequence. This collaborative, long-distance approach to choreography reflected Charlip's experimental sensibility and his interest in how movement could be communicated visually. The concept challenged traditional hierarchies between choreographer and performer.